Holt Plumbing & Heating was founded by John F. Holt and his wife Edith in 1947. John was a skilled sheet metal worker and welder who honed his skills building B-26 and B-29 airplanes at the Martin Bomber Plant in Omaha, Nebraska during World War II. Edith, who also taught elementary school for many years, served as secretary and bookkeeper for the business.
After the war, they came back to the family farm south of Afton, Iowa. John continued to put his metalworking skills to use, repairing machinery for neighboring farmers. This led to plumbing work and eventually heating, cooling, and even appliance sales.
In 1959, John and Edith officially opened John F. Holt Plumbing & Heating in Afton. In the mid-1970s, their son Lynn, who had been working in the plumbing industry in Des Moines, came back to join them in the family business. In 1977, Lynn and his wife Dixie opened a second location in Winterset that quickly grew to service Des Moines and its surrounding areas. And in 2012, they moved their headquarters to 245 Railroad in Valley Junction. Holt’s business is truly a family affair. Lynn and Dixie’s two children, Ben and Amanda, and Amanda’s husband Josh all work in the business as well.
